Tips for Recovering from Wildfires: Lessons from Survivors

Story By KQED

For many of us, the idea of rebuilding your life after losing your home and belongings to a wildfire is unthinkable. But for many in Los Angeles, that’s now the reality after a firestorm leveled thousands of homes and businesses in early January.

This kind of recovery is “a long, hard road,” said Lizz Porter, a small business owner who lives in Colfax. Porter lost her home during the River Fire in Placer County in 2021. The work of rebuilding in the wake of a fire can take years, she said. “It is time consuming. It is heartbreaking. It is exhausting, but it’s also worth it.”